Changes
by forthelulz
Summary: Kyouya Ootori x Haruhi Fujioka. Fate led them to meet again at a time when Kyouya's life was completely turned upside down, when he had lost his will and hope. One thing is for certain. The only constant thing in this world is change.


Okay, I'm warning you before hand. OOC abounds. Boo yah!

_The only constant thing in this world is change._

**Chapter 1: The Changes in Him**

He met her one dreary Monday morning at a rundown café by mistake. It was quarter to seven in the middle of the rush hour. The early rain drizzled to a stop, leaving the streets outside damp as the traffic began to loosen up. What little crowd that had taken cover from the rain had already parted, leaving only a handful of customers by then. He sat in one of the corner tables, a position which was a bit obscure to others who might pass by. He stayed there with a steaming cup of espresso in his hand. His mouth thinning into a line as the cheap coffee grounds left a peculiar tang on his tongue. Nevertheless he sipped the cheap caffeine spiked fare not wanting to waste even a drop.

This little place offered the bit of seclusion that he craved. No one recognized him here. None of these people around him might even know who he was. Successfully, he turned into a stranger mingling inconspicuously in a crowd, blending right into the fray as if he was one of them. Even if deep inside his heart that he knew he was not. The tinkling of a bell above the front door resounded every time a new person walked in. One, two or three times the tiny silver bell rang but he never looked up to see who came in until a lilting voice called out his name.

"Kyouya-sempai?"

Kyouya looked up quite suddenly. His heart skipped a few beats in surprise at hearing his name being said out loud. He steadied his hands as she spoke out once again, her tone part wonder and part disbelief. To tell the truth he almost didn't recognize her if not for her unique candid way of calling his name. Her tresses, now at a waist length, swayed behind her back as she cocked her head to the side in thought. Brown eyes widened considerably as she observed his features. He didn't want to acknowledge her presence at first, opting to look away when she tried to catch his eye. Yet his old friend's curious insistent nature took hold and he watched her reach out to pull the chair in front of him, settling her self on it with her attaché case huddled on her lap.

"It is you, isn't it?" she said with a knowing small smile "The Kyouya Ootori who I used to go to school with back in high school in Ouran?"

This time he met her inquisitive gaze. He opened his mouth, eyes closing for a brief moment before he said her name.

"Hello…Fujioka Haruhi"

He saw her cheerful smile widen as she gave a little bow of greeting. Her heart probably leaping at the joy of meeting a person from her past even if his greeting was a little bit icy than her own. And he cursed his luck, inwardly swearing at fate. Of all the human beings in this world why did it have to be her? Fujioka Haruhi, a person from a past that he desperately wanted to run away from.

And he tried to remember her as she was way back then. The short cropped brown hair that almost looked like a boy's, the almost nonchalant outlook on life. But now Haruhi was different in more ways than one. No longer did she need to pretend to act as a boy. She was a woman now in every sense of the word. Observant onyx eyes could see how her professional business suit accented her slight curves, how her now longer tresses framed her face. Her eyes no longer looked full of nonchalance and naivety but now full of passion and exuberance. It was as if something had changed considerably since the time they had parted. He laughed at himself a little, reminding himself of the facts. Eight years had already passed since the time they had parted. She would change just as he also had.

Change, after all, is the most constant thing in this forsaken world.

"How are you then?" The common question was thrown out, an effective conversation starter for two people who haven't seen each other for a long, long time. He diverted his gaze, not wanting to answer such a question. Not today, not at this time. Not when he felt that the world around him had begun to crumble. She didn't need to know that. He didn't want her to know and a part of him wished she would just go away and pretend they had never met in such circumstances.

But Kyouya was saved from answering at the nick of time as a waiter finally supplied him with his order. A blonde man wearing blue rectangle shaped glasses and a bartender suit laid out his meal. The delicious smell of bacon and eggs wafted in the air.

He watched her as she smiled in turn at the waiter, a knowing look shining in her eyes. "My usual, Shizuo-san and today's newspaper" Haruhi ordered without even asking for the set menu or the special of the day. _A regular, _Kyouya's observant mind supplied, noting the way his companion calmly looked back at him and the waiter just smirked in reply and quickly whisked away. And he wondered how many times had she dined in this place to the point that the café's servers knew what she exactly wanted.

Haruhi observed him from her vantage point as she waited for her order to come by. With a smile on her lips she waited for an answer to the question just then asked. Yet he was saved again as the waiter hurried back with a grin and tray full of sandwiches and iced tea. Her attention was now temporarily distracted as the plate and glass were set before her. Eyes delightfully lighting up as she nibbled the side of her bread. And Kyouya eyes narrowed into slits as he saw that she was offered a stack of the early morning newspaper. A fresh surge of anger that stabbing at his heart as he recognized at the blaring headline that could be read even from afar.

**OOTORI ZAIBATSU CORPORATION'S DOWNFALL**

So simple yet powerful, the article's headline inked in bold and black. And he knew what was written underneath. An elaborated affair on how his family's company, one of Japan's largest and wealthiest, finally collapsed. How the pressures of the economic crisis had slowly eaten away at a once magnificent empire. How his older brother's wrong management decisions and huge gambles eventually led into this. And now how a foreign company had taken the opportunity and bought the ailing corporation out of his family's hands.

Everything seemed to eat away at his soul as he saw her stare at the headline. Her sandwich instantly forgotten, eyes wide and mouth shut. Questions and 'what ifs' began to plague his mind once more. Maybe if he had been given the opportunity. Maybe if he was the one chosen as the heir. Maybe if he wasn't only someone who was supposed to support in the shadows. Then maybe, just maybe, he would have been able to save his now deceased father's legacy.

If only he could do something.

If only.

But everything was now too late.

He had lost everything.

"That is how I am" he said, shoulders tensing as her brown eyes scanned the write-up. His hands shaking and fisting as she quickly glanced back at his face. Once clear passionate eyes now dimmed with concern and confusion. Just like the rest of his wealthy colleagues and probably also the rest of the world. "I had lost everything"

And he did. From his coveted dream of being picked as the heir to his last attempts to bail his family's corporation, it was as if the world as he knew it had turned upside down. The once wealthy extravagant man now laughingly turned one of those commoners he had looked down upon before. He lived in a mansion that he could no longer support rode in a limousine that he no longer hoped to keep and more opted to sell. Now with little else than his possessions and the meagre amount of money in his bank account, hope seemed to elude him still.

"Sempai…" Haruhi began mumbled, her expressive eyes showing him more than words could give.

"Don't pity me!" Kyouya brusquely cut off as she opened her mouth again to speak. Closing his eyes, he began to struggle to breathe. He didn't need pity or sympathy. He abhorred it, loathing every piteous looks that had been thrown his way. And sometimes he wished he could forget the disappointment and despair he had seen from his family's eyes.

"I'm not" she simply replied, her eyes softening with emotion.

She folded the newspaper and put it face down on the table top.

"I do not pity you"

Once shut eyes re-opened at hearing such words. And he looked at her face looking for any sign of playful mocking humour. Yet all he could see was acceptance; Acceptance without judgement.

"The Kyouya-sempai I had known would not give up easily" she said with an impish knowing tone "Even if there was a hundred thousand Tamaki-sempais hurdling your way you will still find a way to get around"

He stared at her, her words hitting their aim with precision. Memories of his past days in Ouran Gakuen resurfaced in his mind. And he remembered the numerous ways he turned around the club's ailing funds. The over the top fund raisings that often included conning this friend of his who sat in front of him, such bittersweet memories of a past now long gone.

"You'll get through" she added after a pause of silence. His questioning, half-doubting look sent her laughing in a while. "Because you're Kyouya-sempai" she stated with conviction before returning to her meal, the newspaper now forgotten and put aside. Her eyes brightened once again in as she chewed her sandwich with delight.

And he could only look on as a small seed of hope blossomed in his heart. Because when he thought he was at the end of his rope, when everyone else looked down…

She had believed in him.

And he had once again began believe in himself.

**Author's Notes:**

I'm back!

I'm not abandoning **And Then We Meet Again**. I just needed something new to write to erase the cobwebs of my writer's block riddled inspiration. This now came into mind. This will be a short story only three chapters long. I always wondered what would happen if Kyouya suddenly enters a world that he has not known before. The characters are obviously OOC but I don't care anymore. An Ootori like him would probably be prepped up and only used in the finer things in life. To have those suddenly taken away would probably cause him some major pain. Anyone who faces something a sudden failure like failed business would definitely feel bewildered and without hope.

I wonder if anyone noticed the brief cameo of Heiwajima Shizuo from the series Durarara! I just love him to bits so I added him to spice up the story. It's short and almost unnoticeable. Fufufu.

Please review. It would be lovely to know what you think about this story. Constructive criticisms are welcome! Reviews are like cookies. They give happiness and inspiration.

So click that little button below and review!


End file.
